War Madness at OSIAN’s-CINEFAN ‘06, Roman Polanski in Jerusalem, Jeddah Visual Show
by Andre Soares
Via Ohmy News / Associated Press: ”For me, I am against any war, in any place. Because for me, war is the language of the animals."
That’s Iraq-born director Mohamed Al-Daradji, whose Ahlaam / The Dreams is part of the film line-up of the OSIAN’s-CINEFAN 8th Festival of Asian Cinema in Delhi. Animals everywhere should sue - though, of course, Al-Daradji is making a valid point about the irrationality of war.
Reportedly based on true events, Ahlaam - which seems to have shades of Philippe de Broca’s 1966 absurdist comedy Le Roi de coeur / King of Hearts - depicts the events leading up to, and the aftermath of, the invasion of Iraq by the U.S. and its allies as seen through the eyes of the occupants of a mental hospital in Baghdad.
The festival is also screening Saudi Arabia’s first ever feature film, Kayf el hal? / Today and Tomorrow, directed by Toronto-based Palestinian filmmaker Izidore K. Musallam. Described in the festival notes as a "social drama and a romantic comedy," Today and Tomorrow "puts forward several controversial questions regarding ‘social oppression,’ the lives of Saudi women and secret romances, and often appears as a political statement."
The OSIAN-CINEFAN festival comes to a close on July 23.
Ahlaam is Iraq’s Oscar submission
OSIAN’s-CINEFAN 8th Festival of Asian Cinema 2006 Winners (July 23)
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From Lia Van Leer’s mission statement for the Jerusalem Film Festival:
While our borders remain fragile and highly mutable
And the aims of our politicians largely inscrutable
The film festival operates without bias or slant
Our goal is to stimulate, enthuse, and enchant.
At twenty-two we have a magnificent staff
Who cope with the impossible and even laugh
At twenty-two we’re the hottest event in the diary
A film festival that dares to be innovative and fiery.
Director Roman Polanski, 73, was honored with the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The Jerusalem Post has an article on Polanski, in which he expresses his views on his career and on Oliver Twist.
The Jerusalem festival, which has been running since July 6, comes to a close on July 15.
(Pictured above is Peled Hanan’s Dear Mr. Waldman, one of the Israeli films competing for the Wolgin Award.)
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Reuters (via /The Scotsman) reports that Saudi Arabia’s first film festival, the Jeddah Visual Show Festival, is currently taking place. According to Andrew Hammond’s article, no features are being screened, but the Saudi shorts shown at the festival "deal with bold themes such as domestic violence, drugs and religious extremism. Saudi television carries some dramas covering the same issues, but they are mostly made in Kuwait with Kuwaiti actors."
Note: The words "cinema" or "film" were not allowed in the festival’s title, for fear of invoking the wrath of Saudi Arabia’s ultra-radical Muslim clerics. Films have been banned from the Muslim kingdom since the 1970s.
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